Poached Salmon made exotic with a simple, amazing Coconut Lime Sauce!! Tastes like a Thai coconut curry sauce – but it’s quick and easy. The trick is to caramelise garlic, ginger and lemongrass with a smidge of sugar before adding the coconut milk. It’s incredible what a difference it makes!
Poached Salmon
Poached fish has a bad reputation. The mere mention of it conjures up visions of pale, overcooked, flavourless fish swimming in murky water.
It’s time for a makeover.
Enter – THIS Poached Salmon swimming in an outrageously tasty caramelised Coconut Lime Sauce with lemongrass, ginger and chilli. Poached fish never tasted so good!! 😂
This poached salmon is lightly seared on the outside first then we finish cooking it by poaching in a simple Thai coconut curry sauce.
How to poach salmon
The “normal” way to poach salmon involves bringing a pot of water to the boil with some basic aromatics like lemon and sprigs of herbs, then the salmon is gently simmered until it’s cooked.
This isn’t my favourite way to cook salmon. I miss the flavour you get from searing.
So my method of making poached salmon involves lightly searing first THEN poaching in the same skillet.
Coconut Curry Sauce – real easy!
Looks like Thai Red Curry, tastes like Thai Red Curry…..
Sure, it doesn’t have quite the same depth of flavour – but it requires a fraction of the time and ingredients. I think even those with sophisticated South East Asian palettes will still be mighty impressed with the flavour of we manage to get in this so quickly and with so few ingredients!
Here’s what goes in the coconut curry sauce – and it’s all things you can pick up at supermarkets.
The one thing that some supermarkets may not carry is Chilli Garlic Sauce which, as the name suggests, is a spicy garlicky paste. But don’t worry if you can’t find it – just sub with any chilli paste, even if it’s not Asian (eg Franks), OR use a chilli sauce like Sriracha.
Caramelisation makes all the difference!
If you’re looking at the ingredients suspiciously, thinking surely she’s exaggerating, how on earth can so few ingredients make a coconut curry sauce that tastes like Thai Red Curry? I don’t blame you. I’ll be honest – I’ve tried a few simple Coconut sauces before and been disappointed.
So here are the 2 key things in this recipe that add depth of flavour into this otherwise simple sauce:
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Sear the salmon first. Just lightly – to add colour and flavour to the salmon as well as leaving behind tasty brown bits in the skillet (it’s called fond!) that adds flavour into the sauce. This is a cooking fundamental – never waste those precious golden bits from searing things!
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Caramelise the aromatics (garlic, ginger, lemongrass) with a touch of sugar. It’s amazing how much more flavour that adds to an otherwise simple sauce!
What to serve with poached salmon
There’s enough sauce to serve this over jasmine rice or any rice you prefer, or with noodles (pictured). I’ve used vermicelli noodles here because they’re quick to prepare – just soak in boiling water for a few minutes,
Add a side of steamed Asian greens and voila! A healthy, Omega 3 rich dinner on the table in 20 minutes!!! – Nagi x
PS If you’re wondering if salmon is good for you, the answer is yes, we should all eat more of it! It’s rich in protein and Omega 3 fatty acids which do all sorts of good things for you – brain, joints and heart. So don’t shy away from salmon because you think it’s too fatty or too high in calories – it’s good fat.
MORE QUICK & EASY SALMON RECIPES
-
Christmas Baked Salmon: Easy & Make-ahead – Dead-easy, eye-catching centrepiece!
-
Sesame Crusted Salmon (that crust!)
-
Honey Garlic Salmon (super quick)
-
Salmon Cakes (they’re baked!)
And if you love coconut milk sauces, you’ll love these!
-
An amazing easy Thai Coconut Noodle Soup
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
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Poached Salmon in Coconut Lime Sauce
Ingredients
- 4 salmon fillets , 180g/6oz each preferably skinless (Note 1)
- Salt and pepper
- 2 tbsp oil , separated
- 2 garlic cloves , finely grated
- 2 tsp ginger , finely grated
- 1 lemongrass , peeled, finely grated (Note 2)
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp chilli garlic paste or other chilli paste, adjust to taste (Note 3)
- 400 g/14oz coconut milk (Note 2)
- 1 tbsp fish sauce (or soy sauce)
- 2 tsp lime zest (1 lime)
- Lime juice , to taste
Garnish/serving:
- Fresh coriander/cilantro leaves , finely chopped (recommended)
- Finely sliced large red chillies (optional)
- Vermicelli noodles OR , soaked per packet, or rice
- Steamed jasmine rice
- Steamed Asian greens
Instructions
- Sprinkle both sides of salmon with salt and pepper.
- Heat 1 tbsp oil in a non stick pan or well seasoned skillet over medium high heat. Add salmon, skin side up, and sear for just 1 1/2 minutes until golden. Turn salmon and cook the other side just for 1 minute, then remove onto a plate (should still be raw inside).
- Turn heat down to medium low and allow skillet to cool.
- Heat remaining 1 tbsp oil. Add garlic, ginger and lemongrass. Cook until garlic is light golden ~ 1 minute.
- Add sugar and cook for 20 seconds until it becomes a caramel (see video). Then stir in chilli paste.
- Add coconut milk and stir, scraping the bottom of the skillet to dissolve any bits stuck on the base into the sauce.
- Stir in fish sauce, increase heat to medium. Simmer for 2 minutes.
- Place salmon into the sauce, lower heat and simmer gently for 4 minutes, or until just cooked.
- Remove salmon, stir in lime zest and juice to taste. Adjust salt to taste with fish sauce.
- Serve salmon over noodles or rice. Spoon over sauce, garnish with coriander and chili if using.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
LIFE OF DOZER
That time he got my sneakers wet so I took them off and made him carry them back to the car.
Abby says
This was such a great recipe! I made it tonight – I didn’t have fish sauce so I subbed in soy sauce, but it still turned out great. I served over rice and topped with edamame and spiralized cucumbers and carrots for a little crunch. Amazing recipe!!!
Huan says
Super delicious! Wolfed it down! I did notice the second time when we pre prepped the ingredients (instead of using fresh) the flavours were much less intense. Wondering if you’ve ever frozen pre prepped or cooked sauce and suggestions around this?
Audrey says
Excellent recipe, very tasty. Made it as-is and it was delicious.
Summer Yule says
Delicious! We’ve had bad experiences in the past with lemon grass but we thought the amount here was perfect! It comes together really quickly, lovely weeknight meal 🙂
Vikki Spicer says
Hi Nagi, love this recipe So much! I’m doing it on the weekend but with big juicy prawns this time. Would I cook the prawns a little first (like the salmon) then remove & make the sauce & add them back in later?
Karen says
The first time I tried this recipe I found it was lacking a lot of that Thai flavour.
The second time I made it instead of the chili paste I used 2 tsp red Thai chili in addition to the garlic, ginger and lemongrass paste (Nagi talks about doing this in another recipe and I loved it). I also sautéd the lemongrass pasts when I put the brown sugar in.
I added 4 kaffir lime leaves when I added the coconut milk.
With those changes I found this recipe to be top notch! It was incredibly delicious.
I served it with jasmine rice.
This is going on our menu every week. So good! Even my 1 year old ate it.
Rachael says
I have to comment again on how much I love this recipe. I make it with chicken and my 2year old twins wolf it down. They can’t get enough. A go to meal that everyone enjoys, which makes meal time harmonious, thanks Nagi
Louis says
Another great recipe !!! Just taste great !!
Justine win says
Hi Naga – I was wondering about Salmon and coconut and low and behold … I need wonder no more. Your recipes are all a massive winner and I’m sure this will be no exception. Always love your comments on creating the recipe. Now just need to get home and start cooking! Thank you
Christine says
My family gobbled this up. It was so incredibly delicious. And it was so quick and easy that I had my children make it. Thanks for another great recipe.
Rajesh says
It was simply delicious, i have not had salmon in a gravy form this tasty. In the end felt that i could have done with more gravy. But the star of the dish was the salmon, it gelled really well. Thank you very much.
Katie says
Simple yet delicious.
Mikhaila Barrett says
I needed a quick salmon recipe and this was amazing! I adjusted a few things – including adding some lightly steamed bok choi and sugar snaps to the fish and sauce at the end, and serving it over brown rice – and it was simple, tasty and satisfying. Since discovering your website a few months ago, I’ve made several of your recipes each week, and they have all been fabulous. I’m an Australian living in Kenya, where it can be difficult to get some ingredients, but I love the recipe notes with all the options for changing or simplifying different aspects of a recipe. Even my fussy two-year-old has eaten several of your recipes without complaint! Thank you so much!
Jeanette Spieth says
this was so good!
Kali says
I seriously LOVE this recipe. I make it almost every week with roasted broccoli! AMAZING!
Lulu says
So yummy and so healthy 😍
Kacey Dowling says
Made this tonight and it was AMAZING!
Anna says
This is a fantastic way to use salmon fillets other than a simple pan fry! Lovely sauce! Yet ANOTHER fantastic recipe!
Montserrat says
OMG Nagi, the best salmon recipe ever!!! My partner couldn’t stop saying Mmmm throughout the meal.
The sauce complemented the salmon without overpowering it.
Thank you very much for another lovely experience in top notch food!
Nagi says
WOOT! Sounds like you nailed it Montserrat! N x
Dee says
So looking forward to making this!! Does it work without the chilli paste (cooking for kids and loving that i can make something that caters for us all – we can add some chilli on top for the adults)
Zoe says
I like to substitute the chilli paste with sweet chilli sauce so it still has some flavour without the heat!
Carol says
This recipe is awesome, my 3 big boys loved the sauce!! I adore your recipes, especially when you add grams as the weight, makes it so much easier for me in the UK.